Trials of a Grandma

The sixty-nine year old grandmother, Rosemarie Jackowski, is in the news again.

Two local papers carry the same story on different days and with two different headlines.

Bennington Banner on 12/04/06: War protestor will be retried

Just over the state line, in the North Adams Transcript on 12/05/06: Prosecutor to retry war-protesting Vt. grandmother

I find it very interesting that in Vermont she's a war protester and in Massachusetts she's a grandmother war protester.

A grandmother whose conviction for disorderly conduct was overturned by the Vermont Supreme Court will be retried, according to the county prosecutor. Rosemarie Jackowski, 69, appealed her conviction for disorderly conduct at an anti-war protest at the Four Corners to the Supreme Court in September 2005. She was convicted by a Bennington District Court jury of intending to block traffic and annoy drivers while she stood in the middle of Bennington's busiest intersection. The one-day criminal trial was prosecuted by Bennington County State's Attorney William D. Wright and former Deputy State's Attorney Daniel McManus. District Court Judge David Suntag presided over the trial.

According to Wright, Jackowski will face another trial. . . Wright will be leaving the office in January after 20 years when his former deputy, Erica Albin Marthage, of Manchester, takes over as the state's attorney Advertisement following her election win last month. Jackowski said she was surprised that the state would spend taxpayer money to retry her.

"That's fascinating. I had not heard that. I am kind of shocked and blown away by that. . . Jackowski said she does not fear another trial, and said she will be more prepared the second time around. . .

The state Supreme Court overturned the trial jury's verdict, ruling three to two in favor of Jackowski after the court found that Suntag had made mistakes during the trial, including taking away the jury's responsibility to decide Jackowski's true intent. . .

Finding a new lawyer might be difficult, said Jackowski. Her former attorney, Stephen Saltonstall, who argued her case in trial and before the Supreme Court, said he can no longer represent her because former prosecutor Daniel McManus has joined his law firm as a defense attorney. She said she would consider representing herself.

"I hope that someone will come forward to represent me. ... It's not a big concern or worry. I think the facts are so simple and straightforward that I would like to tell a jury about that day and what I did," she said.

Rosemarie Jackowski was the Liberty Union Party candidate for Vermont Attorney General in the November election. God help her now that William Sorrell has been re-elected.

I found about her retrial from a post on Undernews (Thanks!)